DEF CON China Conference Postponed Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

The second edition of the DEF CON China hacking conference has been put on hold as the country is fighting the coronavirus outbreak. 

The outbreak is prompting China to put several cities in lockdown. Beijing has also restricted travel and canceled a variety of events. 

The DEF CON China 2.0 conference is one of the events impacted by the health scare. Initially planned for April 17-19 in Beijing, the hacking event is currently on hold, for an undefined period of time. 

“China has announced a six-month hold on events like ours as part of the effort to combat the coronavirus outbreak. We regret inconveniencing any of you. Know that we are committed to holding the event once it’s safe to do so,” an announcement on the conference’s website reads. 

The coronaviruses cause diseases in mammals and birds and typically only mild respiratory infections in humans. In rare cases, however, these can be lethal to humans, as is the current outbreak. 

While China’s health authorities said that the virus outbreak has killed 106 people and infected 4,515 in China, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the disease is not spreading through human-to-human contact in the U.S. and the risk to the public is currently still considered low.